William l



W. L. BARRON.

BUCKLE FASTENING MACHINE.

APPLICATION'HLED MAR. 18, I911.

Patented A11 15, 1916.

A TTOR/VEY m: NaRms PETERS 0a.. FNOmLITNO" wasumcmm. u. c.

WILLIAM L. BARRON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFAC- TURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BUCKLE-FASTENING MACHINE.

Application filed March 18, 1911.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM L. BARRON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckle-Fastening Machines, of which the following is a speci fication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has for its object to provide a work-holder adapted for accurately presenting to the stitchforming mechanism of a sewing machine a buckle, cross-barred button or similar article to be fastened to the fabric. In its most approved form, the work-clamp is constructed with an upper member having spaced parallel clamp-arms provided with notched stop-lugs having shoulders disposed adjacent and crosswise of the operative faces of said arms and adapted for engagement with a cross member of the buckle, and spring-holding jaws opposed to said operative faces and adapted to yieldingly maintain the buckle clamped against the operative faces of said parallel arms. The spring-holding jaws are preferably made of angular cross-section for engagement with the bottom and outer edges of the buckle, and are formed upon spring-plates secured upon the upper clampmember.

A common form of buckle used for mens clothing is that constructed of rectangular or oval shape with substantially parallel end members, one of which is formed with the inwardly extending prongs for engagement with a strap of the garment, and an intermediate crossbar over which the fastening.

stitches are formed by which it is secured to another strap of the garment. The notched stop-lugs of the Work-holder are preferably formed so as to embrace and hold the intermediate cross-member of the buckle within the range of movement of the needle in forming the series of overseam fastening stitches, and are adapted to position such crossmember for the stitching operation re gardless of the end of the buckle which is initially introduced into the work-holder,

so as to provide for the application of right and left buckles as applied, for instance, to the opposite sides of the upper bands of trousers.

The invention will be understood by refer- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1916.

Serial No. 615,194.

a portion of the controlling cam-wheel and its connections with the work-holder. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the work-holder embodying the present improvement, and show ing one of the spring-jaws in dotted lines to expose the adjacent portion of the buckle which is represented in the holder in readiness for the stitching operation. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the under side of the work-holder with one of the spring-holding jaw-plates removed, and Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are perspective views of difierent parts of the holder detached.

The machine in which the present improvement is embodied is of that type comprising a rectilinearly reciprocating needle and complemental switch-forming mechanism and a laterally and longitudinally moving work-holder comprising the sideplate 1 and overhanging bracket-arm 2 having a head 3 formed with a vertical slideway for the flat bar 4 normally drawn downwardly by means of the spring 5 having one endattached to the stud-screw 6 carried by the bar 4 and the other end connected with the stud-screw 7 tapped into the head 3. To the reduced forward end of the slide plate 1 is secured, by means of the dowel-pins 8, the stud-screw 9 and nut 10, the shank 11 of the work-supporting plate 12 constituting the lower aw of the work-holder which is formed with the rectangular needle-aperture 13 around which its upper face is roughened or serrated at 14.

The lower end of the bar 1- is fitted to a channel 15 in the rearward face of the shank 16 of the carrier-plate 17, which is secured thereto by means of the fastening-screw 18. The carrier plate 17 is disposed in inclined relation to its shank 16 and is provided upon its under side with the parallel transverse tongues or ribs 19 fitted within correspondingly spaced parallel grooves 20 formed in the upper faces of the reciprocally adjustable plates 21 each formed with a forwardly proj ecting rigid clamp-arm 22 arranged parallel with the upper face of the lower clamp-member 12. Each of these clamp-arms has formed in its inner edge a notch 23 to receive the stop-plate 24 provided with a depending lug 25 having the notch 26 and formed with an angularly arranged flange 27 secured by means of screws 28 upon the top of one of the arms and entering threaded apertures 29 in said arm. Each lug 25 extends downwardly below the lower operative face of the clamp-arm 22 and the notch 26 therein extends upwardly to or slightly beyond such operative face of said arm, and the opposite edges of such notches afford longitudinally spaced detent-shoulders adapted to embrace between them the cross-bar of the buckle grasped by the holder for preventing its endwise displacement during the fastening oper ation.

The carrier-plate 17 has a central aperture 30 through which passes the pin 31 having fixed upon its lower end the disk 32 formed with eccentric and diametrically arranged cam-slots 33 which are entered by pins 34 projecting from the lower faces of the plates 21. The reduced and threaded upper end portion 35 of the pin 31 is flatted at 36 to fit a correspondingly shaped aperture in one end of the finger-lever 37, which is normally pressed upon the upper face of the carrierplate 17 by means of the clamp-nut 38. By loosening the clamp-nut, the finger-lever may be shifted to turn the cam-disk 32 which acts through the pins 34 to shift the sliding plates 21 toward and from each other for accommodation of different sized buckles.

To the under sides of the sliding plates 21 are secured the spring-plates 39 having angularly arranged flat forward portions 40 underlying the lower operative faces of the clamp-arms 22 and similarly notched in their adjacent edges to afiord clearance for the stop-lugs 25. The upper faces of the parts 40 of the spring-plates alford spring-holding jaws for sustaining the side members of the buckle against the under faces of the rigid clamp-arms 22, and these parts are formed with upturned longitudinally extending lips or flanges 41 adapted for engagement with the outer edges of the buckle to guide the same into stitching position and assist in holding the same until the clamp is closed upon the work. It may be noted that these flanges 41 are not absolutely necessary to hold the buckle against angular displacement as the shoulders aiforded by the notches 26 cooperate with the cross members of the buckle to lock the buckle in attaching position and prevent accidental bodily or angular turning movements thereof. These guide-flanges 41 could therefore be dispensed with but their use is preferred. The springplates 39 are each formed with an upwardly ofiset rearward extension 42 provided with an aperture 43 through which passes a fastening screw 44 entering a threaded aperture 45 in one of the sliding plates 21, and said extension has a transverse slot 46 entered by the steady-pin 47 adjacent the threaded aperture 45. The bodies of the spring-plates 39 are spaced from their sustaining sliding plates 21 so as to afford a housing for the cam-disk 32.

As will be seen by reference more particularly to Figs. 4, 5 and 7, the forward ends of the clamp-arms 22 are turned upwardly, and the edges of the lugs are similarly formed, so that in introducing a buckle it is merely necessary to rest the forward end thereof upon the projecting extremities of the spring members 40 and force the same backwardly, whereby the jaws of the holder are slightly wedged apart first by engagement of the forward member of the buckle with the inclined extremities of the arms 22 and then by the engagement of the intermediate cross-menr ber of the buckle with the inclined edges of the stop-lugs 25, until the intermediate member of the buckle snaps into the notches 26, by which it is securely locked against endwise displacement, while the outer side-faces of the lugs 25 insure, by their engagement with the inner edges of the buckle side-members against lateral displacement of the buckle during the lateral feeding movements and longitudinal jogging movements of the work-holder.

The construction and arrangement of the bucklesholding members of the work-holder are such that the latter is adapted to accommodate buckles of various shapes, both in contour and position of the cross-member receiving the fastening stitches, and the device is equally effective whether the crossbar of the buckle is downwardly ofiset from the plane of its side-members, as in a certain class of buckles, or is disposed in the same plane,'as in certain other classes of buckles.

The machine to which the present improvement is shown applied is constructed with the usual bed-plate 48 and overhanging bracket-arm 49 in which is journaled the main-shaft 50 connected by means of the worm 51 and worm-wheel 52, represented in dotted lines in Fig. 1, to the camwheel 53. The cam-wheel is provided in its rearward face with a feed-cam-groove 54 entered by a stud 55 upon the upper end of the lever 56 mounted upon a fixed fulcrum sustained by the bracket 57 and having at its lower end a ball-and-socket connection 58 to an adjustable pitman 59 having at its opposite end a swivel-block 60 carrying a clamp-screw 61 entering a segmental slot 62 in a lateral arm 63 of an angular lever mounted upon the fixed fulcrum-stud 64 and having an arm 65 connected by means of the bent link 66 with the slide-block 67 having a connection With the slide-plate 68 which is in turn attached to the bottom of the slide-plate 1. The cam-groove 54 is formed to impart through the mechanism ust described a stepbystep transverse to and-fro feeding movement to the workholder in relation to the stitcl1-forming mechanism.

The slide-plate 1 has at its rear end the rigid pin or post 69 embraced by the tubular depending arm 70 of a lever fulcrumed in the member 57 of the bracket 57 and having an upper arm 71 carrying the rollerstud 72 which enters the jogging camgroove 73 of the cam-wheel 53. The post 69 has adjustably secured thereon by means of the set-screw 74 the block 75 fitted within the bore of the arm 70 and adapted to communicate reciprocatory or jogging movements therefrom to the slide-plate 1 through the post 69.

The stitch-forming mechanism comprises the usual needle 76 carried by the rectilinearly reciprocating needle-bar 77 journaled in the head of the bracket-arm 4-9 and operatively connected with the mainshaft 50.

In order to raise and lower the upper member of the work-holder or clamp, the slide-bar 4 is provided with a forwardly extending pin 4* passing through a slot in the cover-plate of the bracketarm head 3, and beneath this pin extends the rigid lat eral arm 78 secured to the lower end of the lifting-bar 79 journaled in the head of the bracket-arm 49 and provided near its upper end with the fixed collar 80 beneath which extends the forward extremity of the rock-lever 81 having the fixed fulcrum-stud 82, and adapted to be actuated by a treadle connection to lift the bar 79 for raising the ipper clamp member with its buckle-holdmg means.

In the operation of the machine, the up per clamp member is first raised and the fabric placed upon the lower clamp member 12. A buckle is then forced into operative position within the upper clamp member as before described and the latter is lowered upon the work. The stitching then proceeds, the work-holder being longitudinally jogged to cause the needle to enter the work alternately upon opposite sides of the intermediate cross-member 5* of the buckle b. As the buckle is engaged by its holding members only at the edges of its central aperture embracing the cross-member 79*, pro vision is afforded for application of a continuous succession of fastening stitches extending from one to the other extremity of the cross-member.

As will be seen from the character of the feeding cam-groove 54 represented in Fig. 1, each fastening operation involves the application to the member If of the buckle of an initial series of overseam stitches laid across the same in the primary feeding movement and a superposed series of overseam stitches laid in the retrograde feeding movement produced by a complete rotation of the cam wheel 53. hen the application of the fastening stitches has been completed, the machine is stopped and the lifting bar 79 raised to elevate the upper clamp member, after which a slight pressure upon the adjacent fabric causes the depression of the spring-jaws 4L0 sufficient to disengage the crossmcmber 7% of the buckle from the notches 26 of the detent-lugs 25, after which the buckle may be readily detiched from the holder.

In practice, the spring-plate 39 and its connection with the buckle-clamping por tion 4-0 are such that the latter will yield not only downwardly and transversely of the plane of the lower operative faces of the clamp-arms 22, but sidewise so as to accommodate slight variations in the widths of buckles of the size for which the clamp is set by means of the finger-lever 37 to adjust the parallel clamparms 22.

Having thus set forth the nature invention, what I claim herein is:-

1. A work-holder comprising a holding frame, spaced spring-pressed jaws having bearing faces disposed in substantially the same plane and adapted to yield transversely to said plane, edge-guides extending longitudinally of said jaws, and longitudinally spaced and rigidly connected detents adapted to embrace between them a part of the object grasped by said jaws and positively lock the same in position between said jaws.

2. A work-holder comprising a holding frame, spaced springpressed jaws having b aring faces disposed sul'istantially in and adapted to yield within and transversely of the same plane and provided with spaced longitudinally extending edge-guides, and longitudinally spaced and rigidly connected detents adapted to embrace between them a part of the object to be grasped by said of the aws.

3. A workholder comprising a holding frame constructed with spaced normally-unyielding and reciprocally adjustable clamparms having operative faces affording holding jaws disposed in substantially the same frame constructed with spaced normally-unyielding parallel clamp arms provided with alined transversely disposed detent notches, and a spring-pressed jaw opposed to and secured directly upon each of said clamparms said 'aws bein ada ted by their resiliency to sustain an article to be stitched yieldingly in contact with the clamparms and in engagement with said detent notches.

5. A work-holder comprising a holding frame constructed with spaced rigidly connected parallel clamp-arms having operative faces affording holding jaws disposed in substantially the same plane, detents carried by said clamp-arms and disposed transversely to said plane and spring-pressed jaws opposed to said clamp-arms and formed with angularly arranged lips embracing said clamp-arms, said spring-pressed jaws being adapted to yield both parallel with and transversely to the operative faces of the clamparms for sustaining an article to be stitched yieldingly in contact therewith and in engagement with said detents.

6. A work holder comprising a holding frame constructed with laterally spaced jaws having operative faces disposed in substantially the same plane, and spring-pressed transversely of said plane for engagement with the opposite marginal portions of an article to be held, and locking means mounted in longitudinally fixed relation with said jaws, for holding said article locked against displacement.

7. A work-holder comprising a carrier, laterally spaced clamp-arms rigidly secured to said carrier and affording bearing faces disposed in substantially the same plane, spring-arms also secured to said carrier and normally maintained by their resiliency in clamping relation with the bearing faces of said clamp-arms, edge-guides arranged at the outer edges of said clamp-arms for confining laterally an article gripped between said arms, and longitudinally spaced detent shoulders disposed intermediate and in fixed longitudinal relation with said arms and adapted to admit between them a part of the said article transversely of said faces of the clamp-arms by the yielding of the spring-arms.

S. A work-holder comprising a carrier, laterally spaced clamp-arms rigidly secured .to said carrier and affording bearing faces disposed in substantially the same plane, spring-arms also secured to said carrier and normally maintained by their resiliency in clamping relation with the bearing faces of said clamp-arms, and stop-lugs sustained by said clamp-arms and formed with notches having spaced walls to embrace a member of an article to be held and having externally inclined shoulders for deflecting said member in opposition to the springarms to admit the same within said notches.

9. A work-holder composed of a jogging frame, a work-support secured to said frame, and an article holder comprising a holding frame sustained by and movable with said jogging frame and constructed with laterally spaced pairs of rigid and spring-pressed jaws adapted to admit between them the article to be held and between which and the work-support the fabric is adapted to be introduced, and means including pairs of longitudinally spaced shoulders sustained by and in longitudinally fixed relation with said rigid jaws for positive engagement with said article intermediate said jaws to prevent longitudinal displacement thereof in either direction.

10. A work holder comprising a holding frame constructed with laterally spaced members, each member supporting spaced shoulder port-ions providing a notch between them, and also carrying means for holding in the notch a portion of the'article to be held, whereby said article is locked against angular. displacement.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVILLIAM L. BARRON.

Witnesses H. J. MILLER, H. A. KORNEMANN, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

